Back to Candle Making

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Back to Candle Making

In many households the operative word right now is “Back to School” and any store you walk into has some level of display channeled to this type of shopping pattern. Unfortunately candle making does not lend itself to offering products to students heading back to school unless you decide to make your own crayons so we have to create our own late summer campaign, in the spirit of “Back to” we are focusing on Back to Candle making.

It probably could not be more timely then now to highlight this subject because many people take the summer off from candle making because of vacations, heat and consumers interest can wane during the summer months. In this feature we will develop our own check list to make sure you are ready for the fall season. For each of the topics we will highlight past issues of where the topic was explored in greater detail.

Make sure we have selected the proper wax for our specific application. The good news is there is still time to chose the proper wax in time for the fall season. In case you missed it our July issue explored the topic of picking out the proper waxhttp://www.candlewic.com/candle-making-newsletter/0710.asp

One of the more exciting items candle makers like to pick out is the fragrances. According to the National Candle Association 3/4 of all candles purchased our fragranced. A good fragranced candle can truly make your company/ product line a success.http://www.candlewic.com/candle-making-newsletter/0806.asp

While fragrance is fun one of more over looked aspects of the candles is choosing the right color. The color is a very important aspect of the candle and when sitting on a shelf may be the first draw the consumer has to your candle line. As the old cliche goes “You one get 1 chance to make a first impression”.http://www.candlewic.com/candle-making-newsletter/0310.asp

While all of the above are critical to making a very good candle the very most important item and one that will really keep your customers coming back is choosing the proper wick. This is a very important task and unfortunately there really is not a shortcut are easy way to make this happen without some level of testing. The wick needs to be matched to your wax, color, fragrance combination.http://www.candlewic.com/candle-making-newsletter/0509.asp

If you are making pillar candles be sure to check out all of the various molds which are available. To help in understanding the differences between aluminum, polyurethane and the polycarbonate be sure to check out the below article.http://www.candlewic.com/candle-making-newsletter/0309.asp

Once you have learned how to make a nice candle the next step is how to properly price the candle. For many small businesses this can be the hardest part of the business but is necessary if you are going to take your hobby/crafting to the business level.http://www.candlewic.com/candle-making-newsletter/0709.asp

With the summer rapidly coming to an end it can be a very important time for many small business owners or crafters to begin getting ready for the holiday season. In addition to the above subjects we have almost 10 years of monthly newsletters all available free of charge don't forget to take advantage of this great feature.http://www.candlewic.com/newsletters.asp

SOCIAL HOUR

Candlewic can be found in more places then just www.candlewic.com be sure to check us out at all of the great locations and see what we have to offer at each of them.

With summer in full swing and the moisture in the air the most commonly asked question I get is how do I get rid of the air bubbles in my candles?

In most instances air bubbles are caused by air trapped between the wax and the surface of the container you are pouring into. For containers several things will help reduce/eliminate the air bubbles:

Preheat container - In most instances warm to the touch is all that is needed

Pour hotter - As the cold weather sets into many work environments the wax can set up quicker. Raising your pouring temperature even by 5-10 degrees F is enough.

For pillars the same procedures can help eliminate these air bubbles.

August 2010

Featured Project:Summer Sand Candles

With summer in full swing we thought it would be appropriate to feature a project that allows you to use something that many will be spending a great deal of time, and that is sand. Sand candles have been around for a very long time and can make a very memorable gift from your summer vacation.

Fill the tub / bucket up with sand. Add water (you will have to experiment with the amount of water since sand texture varies) and try to pack the sand as tight as possible. The tighter it packs and the less water you use, the more consistent the outside shell of the candle will be.

Once the sand is packed tightly, take the cup or object and form a “cavity” in the sand. Once the cavity is formed, take your wax and pour it into the wax at around 195-205. The wax can already be colored or you can now take color blocks and swirl them on top.

Once the wax gets a film on top, place the wick assembly into the wax. As the wax gets a little harder you may want to add shells and other non-combustible decorations.

Related News

On behalf of the Candlewic Company, we wish to thank each and every customer for all of their support in 2010. The past 12 months have definitely flown by and we hope everyone had a great year. Over the past year the candle market has definitely shown some new life and renewed market interest. The interest in natural products like soy and palm continue to develop a strong following because of their eco-friendly appeal to consumers. Paraffin wax is still strong due to the ability to deliver the fragrance throw consumers demand.

Hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just several days away which for many signals the "official" start of the winter holidays. However by now most kids have already started putting their “Holiday Wish List” together. We all know that this list will change over 100 times by the actual holiday. Since kids are spending time putting their list together it only appropriate that we help you create your own wish list for the activity you are passionate about. We can only hope some if not all of these items make it to your household in the upcoming weeks.

What is great about our industry is people make candles for many different reasons. For many it has become a holiday tradition where they make their friends, neighbors and co-workers candles for gifts. Others researched the subject and have found that selling candles are an excellent way to start their own business. Yet another is a candle enthusiast that may not find what they like in the market and wish to make it themselves.